Apparatus for treating fabrics



May 8, 1934. J. A.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS KENNEDY Filed June 28, 1952 mwii.

INVENTOR L/EDJEP/VA [TEN/v50)! ATTORNEYS Patented May 8, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,958,193 APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS Application June 28, 1932, Serial No. 619,628

Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for coating the interior of tubular fabric or other fabric surfaces with impregnating and coating material and more particularly to coating the fabric sur- 5 face with a molten impregnating mass.

Heretofore in impregnating or coating fabric surfaces with coating materials, so as to provide a hard, smooth surface, the material has been dissolved in a solvent, then applied to the fabric surface and the solvent permitted to evaporate. The solvents required for the usual compositions are organic solvents, the use of which involves a number of difficulties and disadvantages. Such solvents involve a considerable expense because a part, or all of them, are lost in evaporation. Some of the solvents are inflammable and therefore dangerous, and others have deleterious effects on the health of the workmen.

Heretofore it has not been practicable to apply 26 the coating or impregnating materials in a molten condition or without solution in solvents because the material would solidify while being brought to a position to be applied to the inner surface of a tubular fabric, owing to the narrow long passages necessitated to bring the coating material to the proper point of application in the weaving apparatus in which the tubular fabric is being formed.

An object of my invention is to overcome the whereby an impregnating or coating material that is solid at ordinary temperature and only freely fluid at elevated temperatures may be brought in a molten condition to a point at which it may be applied to the interior surface of a tubular fabric.

In my invention the impregnating or coating material is brought to, and maintained in, a molten condition in a jacketed container. From this container it flows in a jacketed pipe through a tube or passage-way to a spraying or other applying device mounted within the tubular fabric at or immediately beyond the place where the latter is being woven or formed. The temperature throughout the jacketed passage is maintained by a heating fluid which is heated at one part of the jacketed system, as for example near the supply tank or reservoir, and then circulated rapidly throughout the jacketin'g of the conveying passage or pipe. In this manner the temperature of the material is maintained sufiiciently high, not only in the supply reservoir but throughout the connecting passage-way, thereby preventing solidification in the latter and avoiding stoppage of the apparatus.

above difliculties and to provide an apparatus I having an opening 28 that may be brought into The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a vertical view of the apparatus embodying the invention, part being broken away to show the interior of the construction, and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the jacketed supply tank or reservoir and adjacent part of the jacketed conduit.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, a supply of impregnating or coating material 10 in molten condition is placed within a supply tank 11. This supply tank is provided with a heating jacket 12 which is filled with the heating fluid 13, such as a sufiiciently high boiling oil. The 0.1 may be maintained at the proper temperature somewhat above the melting point of the impregnating fluid, by any suitable means, such as the burners 14 contained in a combustion chamber 15, below the jacket 13.

From the reservoir 10 the molten impregnating or coating material enters an outlet pipe 16 which extends upwardly through the tank 11 and is provided with inlet openings 17. The impregnating material then flows by gravity through the pipe 16 and through connecting pipes I 18, 19 to a weaving spindle 20, or other applying means, mounted within the tubular fabric indicated at 21 and at or slightly above the point 22 at which this fabric is being formed.

To prevent the solidification of the impregnating or coating material in its passage through the pipes 16, 18, 19, these pipes are enclosed in a jacket 23 which extends from the bottom of the jacket 12 to within a short distance of the spraying device 20. The jacket is preferably brought as near to the weaving spindle 20 as is practicable so that there will be no danger of the material cooling sufliciently in its passage thereto to clog or stop the pipe 19 or to be applied to the fabric 21.

The temperature of the oil or heating fluid in the jacket 23 is maintained by a circulating system comprising a draw-off pipe 24 connecting with the jacket 23 near the delivery end of the latter and leading to a circulating pump 25 from which it is returned through the pipe 26 to the jacket 12. The heating fluid is thus drawn through the jacket 23 and continuously circulated therethrough at a rate suflicient to maintain the proper temperature.

The flow of impregnating or coating material may be controlled by means of a tube 27 telescoping over the upper end of the pipe 16 and or out of alignment with the opening 1'7 by rotation of the tube 2'7.

Through the above apparatus the impregnating material may be brought in a molten condition and without danger of solidification and stoppage of the conveying pipe to the point at which it may be applied to the inner surface of a tubular fabric or other restricted position. In this way the use of solvents and the difficulties and dangers involved therein may be avoided.

What I claim is: o

1. Apparatus for applying molten material which comprises a weaving spindle for tubular fabrics having means to apply the material against the inner surface of woven fabric, a reservoir, a pipe leading from said reservoir to said spindle and jacketing means enclosing said reservoir and said pipe, means for heating fluid in said jacketing means and means for circulating said fluid continuously through said jacketing means.

2. Apparatus for applying molten material to the interior surface of a tubular fabric which -comprises a weaving spindle for tubular fabrics having means to apply a coating of fluid outwardly against the interior surface of the woven fabric, a jacketed reservoir, means to heat said reservoir, a pipe leading from said reservoir to said spindle, a jacket enclosing said pipe and connected to the jacket of said reservoir and means for drawing fluid from said jacket of said reservoir through the jacket of said pipe and returning it to the jacket of said reservoir.

3. Apparatus for applying molten material to the interior surface of a tubular fabric which comprises a weaving spindle for tubular fabrics having means to apply a coating of fluid out-- wardly against the interior surface of the woven fabric, a jacketed reservoir at a higher level than said spindle, a pipe leading from said reservoir to said spindle, jacketing means for said pipe communicating with the jacket of said reservoir, means to heat the fluid in said jacket and means to withdraw the heating fluid from the jacket of said pipe remote from said reservoir and return it to the jacket of said reservoir.

4. Apparatus for applying molten fluid to the interior surface of a tubular woven fabric which comprises a weaving spindle for tubular fabrics, a reservoir at an elevation above that of said spindle, a conveying pipe connecting said reservoir to said spindle and extending upwardly in said reservoir and having inlet openings in the.

lower part of said reservoir, a tube telescoped on said pipe within said reservoir and having openings positioned to be brought into register with those of said pipe, a jacket for said reservoir, means for heating said jacket, a jacket for said pipe connected to and extending from the jacket of said reservoir to a point near said spindle, means for drawing fluid from said jacket of said pipe at a point remote from said reservoir and returning it to the jacket of said reservoir. 5. A method of forming an internally coated fabric tube which comprises weaving a textile material to tubular form, melting an impregnating and coating material, bringing a stream of said molten material to the interior of said tubular woven fabric through the end being woven, applying said molten material to the interior of said tubular fabric immediately after its entrance thereinto, and enclosing said stream in a heating medium in its passage to said fabric.

JOSEPH A. KENNEDY. 

